Yahoo Finance Nike and MSCHF agree to settle lawsuit over 'Satan shoes'
Nike (NKE) has settled its legal battle with Brooklyn-based design brand MSCHF over the Lil Nas X “Satan Shoes.” In a statement given to Yahoo Finance, Nike further distanced itself from the controversial shoe, as well as the 2019 MSCHF created “Jesus Shoes” using Nikes as a base.
In both instances, the statement read, "MSCHF altered these shoes without Nike’s authorization. Nike had nothing to do with the Satan Shoes or the Jesus Shoes."
[Read more: Expert: Why Nike stands a 'reasonably good chance' to win its case vs Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan sneaker’]
As part of the settlement, Nike asked MSCHF to initiate a voluntary recall to buy back any Satan Shoes and Jesus Shoes for their original retail prices, in order to remove them from circulation.
The statement also read, "If any purchasers were confused, or if they otherwise want to return their shoes, they may do so for a full refund. Purchasers who choose not to return their shoes and later encounter a product issue, defect, or health concern should contact MSCHF, not Nike. The parties are pleased to put this dispute behind them."
Nike told Yahoo Finance that both parties are pleased to put the dispute behind them. However, the sportswear giant did not reveal further details of the settlement.
In an email to Yahoo Finance, David H. Bernstein of Debevoise & Plimpton, counsel of record to MSCHF, said that the settlement was "the best way to allow [MSCHF] to put this lawsuit behind it so that it could dedicate its time to new artistic and expressive projects," and noted that the brand "had already achieved its artistic purpose."
Bernstein wrote, “With these Satan Shoes – which sold out in less than a minute – MSCHF intended to comment on the absurdity of the collaboration culture practiced by some brands, and about the perniciousness of intolerance. The 666 shoes (665 of which were already sold and shipped to collectors before the temporary restraining order hearing last week) were individually-numbered works of art that will continue to represent the ideals of equality and inclusion wherever they are displayed.”
In an ironic twist, Nike might possibly see itself in a legal battle with the United States Postal Service over a proposed USPS-inspired shoe — The Nike Air Force 1 USPS.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Debevoise & Plimpton.
Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ReggieWade.
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